VIM Pondering Diaspora Youth and Education,
Dr. Goldmann Sees Russian Jews as Major Problem
(Continued from Page 1)
profound effects on the fu-
ture of Israel and diasopra
Jewry.
Dr. Goldmann reiterated
many of the views he has ex-
pressed on previous occa-
sions — some of which have
made him a figure of bitter
controversy in Israel and in
some Jewish circles abroad.
He addressed himself to
- such delicate and potentially
devisive issues as activism
versus caution in meeting ex-
ternal threats to the Jewish
people and Israel; when to
resist and when to retreat
in the interests of survival:
the problem of dual loyalty
as it affects diaspora rela-
tions with Israel; the need
of neutrality by the state of
Israel in world affairs; and
the dangers inherent in 'the
"unilaterial orientation of
Jewish world policies . . .
solely with the democratic
nations."
Dr. Goldmann stressed.that
"every Jew, in my opinion,
is entitled to express his
views about Israel's policies,
but when it comes to the fi-
nal conclusion he has the
duty to stand by Israel, even
if he is not in accord with
its policies." He 'noted that
the WJC "by its structure,
cannot adopt a unified posi-
tion on any of Israel's inter-
nal or external political prob-
lems."
He formulated three prin-
ciples, however, which he
said should form the 'basic
approach by the Plenary As-
sembly to the relationship
between Israel and the dias-
pora: "The unity of the
whole Jewish people and the
equality of all parts of it;
the recognition of the sover-
eighty of Israel by the Jews
of the diaspora, leaving the
state and its institutions the
right and privilege to reach
binding decisions on its pol-
icies; the recogntion by Is-
rael of the autonomy of the
diaspora, not trying to dom-
inate its internal policies
and allowing it to voice its
views on Israel's policies."
Dr. Golmann divided the
problems and perils confront-
ing Israel" and world Jewry
into two categories — exten-
nal and internal. In the for-
mer he listed the diminution
of guilt for the Nazi Holo-
caust on the part of the non-
Jewish world; the re-align-
ment of the world power
structure by the emergence
of the Communist bloc of na-
tions and the Third World
nations, capable of challeng-
ing the democracies on which
the Jewish people have tra-
ditionally relied.
He said that a large group
of Jews "menaced by exter-
nal factors" are the one mil-
lion of Latin America, "again
not so much threatened by
anti-Semitism . . . but in
danger of becoming the vic-
tims of a pre-revolutionary
situation which — as our ex-
perience of diaspora life
proves — tends to make us,
as the weakest minority, the
primary object."
Among the internal prob-
lems, Dr. Goldmann stressed
the fragility of a "Jewish
nation" in which 80 percent
of its members live outside
of its national state. "We
must see to it that aliya in-
creases," he said. "We must
induce the important and in-
fluential Jewish personalities
who are unable or unwilling
to join Jewish life in the
form of demorcratic process,
to play an active part." He
said it was unrealistic to
teny the existence of double
loyalty which in normal
.-,imes "should not constitute
a problem" but in times of
crisis "is bOund to crop up."
"For us it is a question of
life and death. A Jewish
state will not survive if the
diaspora Jewry will separate
itself from it, morally, poli-
tically and intellectually. The
solution of the problem is
first of all to adinit its exis-
tence and to fight for the
recognition of such double
loyalties," he said.
On the other hand, Dr.
Goldmann said, Israel "has
to consider the impact of its
policies on Jewish commun-
ities in the world whose soli-
darity it is rightly demand-
ing, and therefore one of the
major considerations . of Is-
rael's policies should be to
avoid possible conflicts and
accusations of double loyalty,
to keep out of international
disputes as far as possible
if they do not vitally affect
Israel's existence, and thus
to make it possible for Jews
in all parts of the world and
under all kinds of regimes
to remain atached and loyal
to Israel."
Summing up, Dr. Gold-
mann said: "The relatively
happy period since the Sec-
ond World War is coming
to an end and we are enter-
ing a new era in which we
will have to fight more stren-
uously and against greater
risks for the survival and
security of Israel and for
the continued existence of
the diaspora, for which Is-
rael's survival is a condition.
Nothing is more dangerous
for any people — especially
for ours, with its innate in-
clination to be optimistic .. .
than to indulge in illusions,
see things better than they
are, escape from facts when
they are tragic and uncom-
fortable. We must find the
courage and coolness of mind
to face realities, both in the
diaspora and in Israel, where
all Jewish problems become
more dramatic and more fo-
cussed."
Another convention speaker,
Philip M. Klutznick, of Chi-
cago, former U.S. ambassa-
dor to the United Nations
Economic and social coun-
cil, warned that growing
isolationism in t h e U.S.
"could be harmful if not cata-
strophic" for Israel and the
Middle East.
Klutznick observed that
"many Americans are weary
of conflict and the expendi-
ture of resources for either
political, economic or mili-
tary foreign aid."
"The is a danger of turning
inward to which President
56 Friday, February 7, 1975
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
—
Ford alluded in his state of
the union message, which we
Americans must fight," he
said. "Isolationism is grow-
ing and international morality
has its limitations where per-
sonal comfort is involved.
We may be in for a long and
difficult struggle in my coun-
try and its impact on the
Middle East and Israel could
be harmful if not catastroph-
ic."
Klutznick, a former presi-
dent of Bnai Brith and a
member of the WJCS govern-
ing council, opened a general
debate on the theme of
"World Jewry in a Changing
World."
According to Klutznick, the
huge purchases of military
hardware by the .Arab coun-
tries may be more dangerous
than the build-up- of petro-
dollars in the oil producing
countries. The Arab's expen-
ditures for jet fighters, tanks
and other offensive weapons
point to a "search for em-
pire" that is far more serious
than the dollars in Arab
hands resulting from the
quadrupling of oil prices, he
said.
"The miracle that the times
require depends on two
events," he added.
"First, the recognition by
Israel that Jews outside Is-
rael have a genuine partner-
ship role to play in the up-
building of the Jewish state;
and second, that the diaspora
sees itself not only as giver
or source of aid but as a real
participant, within the ac-
cepted norms of international
behavior, in Israel's political
and social future."
Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg
urged the World Jewish Con-
gress to take the lead in for-
mulating programs aimed at
universal free Jewish educa-
tion for Jewish youth in dias-
pora countries and the estab-
lishment of a peace corps
type system whereby Jewish
youths would devote a set
period of service for the Jew-
ish people.
Rabbi Hertzberg, president
of the American Jewish Con-
gress and a professor of his-
tory at Columbia University,
declared that world Jewry
was obliged to provide a free
Jewish education for every
Jewish youngster who de-
sired it.
"If the great task in the
first three quarters of this
century was to make the
world safe for Jews," he
said "the task that must be
undertaken in the remaining
quarter must be to make
Judaism safe among Jews,"
He called on the WJC to
lead world Jewry into "a
moral commitment . . . a
fundamental decision" to
make Jewish education freely
available "to every child in
the diaspora." .
Rabbi Hertzberg also said
that it was "scandalous" that
Israeli youth were called to
serve their country in the
army for three years while
diaspora Jewish youth made
no similar effort to serve the
Jewish nation.
Noting that Mormon youth
gave three years of service
to their church, Hertzberg
asked, "is it not conceivable
that Jewish young people
from California might serve
six months leading a youth
group in Ma'alot or teaching
arithmetic in a Jewish school
in Bogota?"
Israel President Ephraim
Katzir, warned that "a new
anti-Semitism" threatens the
Jewish people.
"Our enemies, even if they
are ready to accept Jews as
individuals, are not prepared
to recognize the corporate
existence of the Jewish peo-
ple as we ourselves have de-
fined it," Katzir said. "This
is the new anti-Semitism, the
denial of the Jewish people
the right to live as Jews ; as
part of the Jewish people."
Katzir maintained that "it
is not only the Jewish people
that faces Arab terror and
blackmail. Just as the Nazi
persecution if the Jews en-
gulfed the world with World
War H, so do Arab attacks
against Israel and the Jewish
people threaten Western de-
mocracy itself," he said.
At the Wednesday- evening
session Pinhas S a p i r con-
tended that unless Jewish
youth the world over is given
"a Jewish-Zionist education"
with emphasis on "the rev-
olutionary act of aliya," dia-
spora Jewry is doomed to
"self-liquidation" through as-'
similation.
"The world Jewish. com-
munity must understand that
it stands before a clear cut
alternative: a Jewish-Zionist
education or self-liquida-
tion," Sapir said. "It is as
simple as that Jewish edu-
cation based on a diaspora
ideology is simply no longer
possible."
Sapir warned that th"
-
l it
sire of Jewish comm
; , iii
that their sons stay wi
them "under the wings of 41
Jewish philanthropy" would
lead the Jewish comunities to -- 4
one result — the loss of their
sons and their assimilation.
He said that "anybody who
still believes that it is pos- ,
sible to strengthen the Jew- '
ish identity of the yoimger. *
generation without its stress-
ing the revolutionary act of
aliya, lives in a very danger-2
ous illusion."
He said that "twenty-seven
years after the establishment
of the state of Israel, we face
again the appearances of as-
similation and of g e t ting
further away from.Judaism."
He said that in the past,
the assimilation of Jew s
among Gentiles was a consci-
ous act while today signs of .71
assimilation indicate that
many Jews are ,unaware of
the problem. He attributed
this to "ignorance, aliena-
tion, loss of identity and
apathy toward Judaism."
According to S a p i r , the.
greatest problem facing the
continuation of Jewish ex-_
istence is education in the
diaspora. He s aid it was
essential to establish, without
delay, a movement for Jew-
ish education that embraces
all the organizations of the
Jewish people in all their
frames.
Appeals for Old Synagogue Restoration
Detroit advertising e x e c u t i v e and philanthropist
Leonard N. Simons joined in an appeal to help save a
synagogue on the Carribean Island of Curacao which has
been in use since 1732.
A magazine that Simon receives reported that the 300-
member synagogue is faced with a $150,000 restoration
bill to fix balconies, wooden supports and the roof.
The synagogue was modeled after the "Portuguese"
Synagogue of 1675 that still stands in Amsterdam. Jews
began settling in Curacao in 1651, • after fleeing Portuguese
Inquisition.
The Curacao synagogue has a floor covered in white
sand, as a reminder of the Spanish and Portuguese ances-
tors who covered the floors with sand to muffle the foot-
steps of forbidden worship.
Simons said persons interested in helping the syna-
gogue can write the Cong. Mikve Israel, P.O. Box 322,
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.
•
'!4
•
4